Chaplain Watters was accompanying an Infantry company when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the mounted, with complete disregard for his safety he rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, he ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. As the troopers battled to the first enemy entrenchment, he ran to the front of it to aid a fallen comrade. A short time later, the paratroopers pulled back in preparation for a second assault. Chaplain Watters exposed himself to both friendly and enemy fire between the two forces in order to recover two wounded soldiers. When the battalion was forced to pull back into a perimeter, he saw that several wounded soldiers were lying outside the newly formed perimeter. He left the perimeter three times to carry and to assist the injured troopers to safety. Chaplain Watters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded.

Father Watters served in
the New Jersey National Guard before joining the active duty Army. He
was the nephew of Navy Boatswain's Mate John J. Doran who received the
Medal of Honor in the Spanish-American War.

Photo from the collection of SSgt David Bata

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